Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
After the recent Shilin Night Market pop-up ended, I’ve been looking for places which offer authentic Taiwanese cuisine. Fortunately, I came across a place in Yishun claiming to serve exactly what I was craving for.
Nestled away in the building of GV Yishun is Paradise Gastronomy (食味堂).
Run by a close-knit family, the eatery serves up a range of Taiwan-inspired dishes.
Evon, the owner, actually has relatives in Taiwan. Throughout the year, she frequently travels to Taiwan with her family to visit them. Inevitably, she picked up Taiwanese recipes there and decided to bring them to Singapore.
They first started out in Bencoolen in 2017 but subsequently moved to Yishun in 2019, where they’re currently at.
The small eatery has a cosy space that can’t accommodate too many customers. With a wallpaper of Taiwan’s iconic night skyline plastered in the background, it almost felt as though we were in Taiwan.
Evon’s daughter, Ying Hui, helps out at the store whenever she’s free as she’s currently schooling.
They recommended some of their signature dishes for us to try. We started off with the Braised Pork Rice 招牌台灣滷肉飯 (S$3.50/S$5.50/S$7.90), an iconic dish synonymous with Taiwanese street food.
We had the smallest portion and the dish came in a beautiful mini ceramic bowl. Filled to the brim, the loaded bowl made our mouths water before we even tried the dish.
We couldn’t wait to get started! The pork belly meat was glistening under the light, making our mouths water.
Tender and extremely juicy, the pork belly had a marinade which was surprisingly light in flavour.
The dish also came with salted vegetables, which they brought over all the way from Taiwan. With sour and salty notes, the vegetables provided an extra boost of flavours to every bite.
They served the rice bowl with a side of fried shallots which gave a delightful crunch.
Though not the most important component of the dish, the rice was deserving of a mention. The soft rice grains had a pleasant chew and reminded me of Japanese pearl rice.
Not only that, but the rice also managed to soak up the braised sauce from the pork belly. Every mouthful was irresistibly savoury as a result.
Moving on, we had another popular Taiwanese street food, Taiwan Oyster Mee Sua 招牌台灣蠔仔麵線 (S$3.50/S$4.90/S$6.90).
We noticed that the gravy had a more watery consistency than that of typical Oyster Mee Suas in Singapore. As expected, it had a flavour profile that’s milder than what we’re familiar with.
That said, however, because it wasn’t as starchy, we actually found it very palatable. The sauce managed to cling onto the silky smooth mee sua too. I personally felt I could devour an entire bowl of it without feeling jelak.
The fresh oysters were plump and juicy too, filling my mouth with briny oceanic flavours.
They also topped the dish with shreds of chicken, making for an all-rounded bite.
Of course, a Taiwanese street food experience can’t possibly be complete without fried chicken, can it?
Paradise Gastronomy offers a wide range of fried chicken dishes. Out of all the options, Ying Hui recommended the Taiwan Salted Egg Chicken 招牌黃金鹹蛋雞 (S$4.50/S$5.50).
When the dish arrived, we were surprised by how much salted egg sauce there was.
I’ve had many salted egg sauces which are really grainy, but this wasn’t one of them. Thick and luscious, it coated every piece of fried chicken evenly. Apparently, it’s an in-house recipe!
With the addition of chilli padi and curry leaves, the decadent salted egg sauce packed a satisfying punch of heat.
The chicken chunks were also juicy and absolutely crunchy, making for an extremely sinful experience. I reckon salted egg lovers will definitely love this dish as it was unanimously our favourite.
We also had Gastronomy Paradise’s Oyster Omelette 爽爽蚝煎蛋 (S$5.50), one of their newest dishes.
Unlike the usual orh jians we find in hawker centres, this dish was more like an egg roll.
Tearing into the soft egg revealed a bounty of oysters, to our delight.
It’s definitely something that’s different from the usual oyster omelettes. But that said, it’s not a dish I would return for as it didn’t blow us away.
We ended off our meal on a sweet note with Paradise Gastronomy’s Taiwan Pearl Milk Tea 台灣珍奶 (S$3.50/S$4.50).
I’m no bubble tea connoisseur, but I found their milk tea actually comparable to KOI’s. Sweet and milky, it was surprisingly refreshing which kept me going back for more.
The only issue I had was with the pearls. For some reason, they had a bitter aftertaste which was slightly off-putting. That said, however, I enjoyed the extra chewy texture. I also appreciated how generous they were with the serving amount.
So if you’re ever looking for an authentic taste of Taiwanese fare, Paradise Gastronomy will definitely satisfy your cravings. The homely dishes and authentic flavours here will momentarily transport you to the bustling streets of Taiwan.
Expected Damage: S$3.50 – S$9.90 per pax
